The Lazarus Effect

If someone dies and comes back to life claiming they were just in hell, you and the other folks in the room should sit down and listen to what they have to say instead of, say, doing anything and everything but listening to them. The Lazarus Effect, to its peril, ignores the thousands of interesting avenues concerning the afterlife and unexpectedly returning from it and focuses on the bullshit. Been to hell? Who cares, here’s some jump scares and flickering lights. From the director who brought you of all things the outstanding documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), The Lazarus Effect is lazy, absurd, not scary for a horror film, not thrilling for a thriller, and may in fact cause you bodily harm as you roll your eyes so strong it knocks a retina loose. In what is the most poorly lit laboratory in all of science, a small group of twenty- and thirty-something medical experimenters ignore any and all ethical guidelines, deviate from their signed grant contract, and create a serum to bring deceased animals back from the dead. Pet Sematary (1989) called; it said it doesn’t need a 21st century remake. When one of the scientists is electrocuted and dies next to the operating table, I suppose it is the most logical thing in the world to strap her on the table instead of the next dog or pig and zap her back. Flatliners (1990) called; they want their creepy side effects from their journey into the afterlife back.

I understand awful horror films; they’ve been around since early cinema and will still be here long after I am gone. What I do not understand is the cast involved with The Lazarus Effect. Take Mark Duplass for example. He plays Frank, the main doctor and scientist who is all excited about the prospect of resurrection yet must continually deny that anything is wrong while spouting, “It’s too early! We don’t understand any of this yet!” This is go-to indie film star Mark Duplass, the guy from last year’s most original film, The One I love (2014) and the time traveler from Safety Not Guaranteed (2012); the director of multiple films being labelled as the torch bearer for the mumblecore movement. Mark Duplass does not belong in an isolated lab zapping old Rex and Rover out of doggy heaven.

The next person who doesn’t belong here is Olivia Wilde, Frank’s long time fiancée, Zoe, and also the unlucky soul who gets to experience life after death. Zoe gets to stare a lot and show off some impressive mind powers which are only briefly glimpsed every now and again when it’s time for someone to die and then never discussed. Well, perhaps Wilde does belong here after skimming through her filmography: TRON: Legacy (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013). Nevermind, The Lazarus Effect is quite the appropriate vehicle for Olivia Wilde.

The rest of the cast and most expendable parts of the science team are Donald Glover, Evan Peters, and Sarah Bolger. Glover, aka the rap artist The Childish Gambino, is still kick starting his film career after moving on from Community, Peters was Quicksilver, the best part about last year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and I remember Bolger as Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII in Showtime’s The Tudors. Perhaps the oddest presence is the director, David Gelb. Jiro Dreams of Sushi was one of 2011’s best documentaries. I recognize feature films are considered more prestigious than documentaries, but I don’t think The Lazarus Effect counts.

Gelb claims The Lazarus Effect explores the gap between life and death and the possible consequences of playing God in that realm. What may the person bring back with them? The Lazarus Effect was supposed to address the bigger questions of what happens when you die and where do you go. Answering those questions must have more complicated than first imagined because writers Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater opted to make The Lazarus Effect more of a telekinetic slasher film than engage in any deeper philosophical study. Carrie called; she wants her unexplained mental abilities back.

But The Lazarus Effect is different and new right? This is not Frankenstein where the guy wakes up and goes nuts, it’s a woman! You’re right, it’s The Bride of Frankenstein. Zoe was the religious one in the group. Gelb gives us quick shots of the cross hanging from her necklace and Frank pokes fun at her Catholic upbringing one time too many. John 11, the Bible’s Lazarus section, even shows up in the end credits. We get it. A more amusing touch I noticed though involves classical music. These 21st century medical researchers share an office turntable and Zoe always puts on a section of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. What section does she listen to? The solo by a character named the Queen of the Night. Subtle. Every B-movie horror film called; they say thank you for making a movie so bad it might distract from how bad their films were.